The Tigers Of Scotland

Scottish Wildcats are the UK’s only big cat and are among the rarest mammals in the world. Bringing knowledge of their existence and awareness of their status to a wider audience is crucial to facilitating their survival.

Just how rare are they?

The Wildcats

Scottish Wildcats are a distinctly different species than your typical domestic house cat and are in fact up to 25% larger than your neighbourhood moggy.

Britain's Only Cat

Scottish Wildcats are native to Britain and were once found throughout England and Wales as well as Scotland. They are now confined to the upper Highlands of Scotland. These animals are elusive and to see one in the wild is an incredibly special event.

Dwindling Numbers

Just a couple of years ago experts believed that there were between 35 and 100 pure breed Scottish Wildcats and up to 400 hybrids. The latest estimate is that there are up to 100 hybrids with the possibility that there are no 100% pure Wildcats left.

Threats To Wildcats

The main threat is hybridisation – this is where Wildcats and domestic cats mate. Hybrid offspring are fertile and the mix of genes can cause problems for these animals. Hybrids with high quality genetics are a potential saviour for the species though.

Conservation Efforts

Several conservation bodies are working to save the Scottish Wildcat from extinction. Their efforts include a captive breeding programme, a programme to vaccinate and neuter feral, farm and pet cats and the monitoring of habitats.

Click to play trailer

Many Britons aren't aware that we have a native big cat

The Documentary

Scottish Wildcats are affectionately known as ‘Highland Tigers’. The name originates from their striped fur and that they’re not only one of Britain’s largest predators, but the UK’s only ‘big cat’.

The Tigers of Scotland is a feature length (63 minutes) documentary by Wild Films Ltd and narrated by Iain Glen. It focuses on the fragile existence of the Wildcats, their status and what conservation efforts are being undertaken to ensure their survival. Bringing knowledge of their existence and awareness of their status to a wider audience is crucial to preventing their extinction.

The documentary is now finished, with screenings currently being held around the UK plus festival appearances around the world. The Tigers of Scotland is distributed by 7 Palms Entertainment.

Expert Driven

The documentary is led by interviews with top experts in Wildcat conservation. The involvement of these leading authoritative figures provides an unparalleled insight into the status of the Wildcat, it's plight and the conservation efforts being undertaken in an attempt to save it from extinction.

Shot in 4K

Using cinema quality equipment ensures the highest production standard. The Tigers of Scotland is being shot in 4K resolution - future proofing it for broadcast and cinema distribution, plus utilises cutting edge low-light camera equipment for unparalleled night time footage.

Estimated numbers of remaining

Rare Mammals

A few words about

Wildcat Conservation

We’ve spoken to some of the leading experts regarding the Wildcat’s prospect of survival.

I would say the Wildcat is probably one of the most rare species in Britain. That’s probably due to two different things. There is the fact that Wildcats, being a cat and being a predator, they’re naturally very elusive animals anyway. But also, there are very, very few of them left, so they’re very rare animals. They’re one of the most difficult animals to see in Britain.

I think if we don’t do something - something really significant - we’re going to lose this really iconic, emblematic species from the Scottish Highlands, and that would be a dreadful thing. We’ve really got to work hard, and by “we” I mean everybody who lives and works in the countryside. We all need to be doing our bit because I think we can save it.

The Wildcat unfortunately has this relationship with the domestic cat where it produces fully fertile young. So once you get a young hybrid Wildcat/domestic cat, it can breed with a Wildcat again and so you can keep on diluting the genes, and this is a big problem.

With recent research it’s really starting to look like numbers are much, much lower than we first appreciated. Within the Scottish Wildcat population, we really don’t know if there’s even a one hundred percent pure Wildcat. All the ones that have been tested so far, there has been no one hundred percent Wildcat.

A huge thank you to all of our

Contributors

Thank you to everyone who has contributed towards the film. Without your help this film would not be possible.

Special thanks to our

Affiliates

Our Team

Leanne Gater is an award winning wildlife photographer and filmmaker. Her photography has been exhibited all across the world, including Times Square in New York and at the Louvre in Paris. More recently, she was named in the top five wildlife filmmakers by Movidiam.

An accomplished wildlife filmmaker, she has produced, shot and edited her own wildlife films on Red Squirrels and Puffins. Additionally, she has chartered boats to film whales off the coast of Whitby, plus tracked and filmed wild red deer, pine martens and even reindeer all over Scotland.

John Rice is a successful Scottish poet and writer whose work frequently features wildlife and the natural world.

He has held a number of notable positions in the Arts world and has had several books published for both children and adults. He joins the project as a writer as his expertise in both wildlife and writing will be extremely beneficial to weaving a compelling narrative.